In all the talk over expanded lines, transit leaders have neglected some simple things that would make the system better for everyone.

In all the clamour about subways to Scarborough, LRTs on Sheppard, BRTs on Finch and who’s in control of what, we have forgotten that the transit system we already have could be a whole better than it is. We have also overlooked the fact that we could improve the lives of TTC riders without spending the billions needed to update its antiquated signal technology or expand the system. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions:

· To begin with, Sunday subway service, which begins at 9 a.m., starts much too late. Anyone who has had to use the early morning Yonge St. bus knows how utterly inadequate it is. Many Torontonians work now on Sundays and they have to get to work like everyone else. The Lord’s Day Act no longer applies, and it’s time the TTC joined the 21st century with the rest of the city. The subway should open its doors at 6, maybe 7 a.m. at the latest, and stop punishing early risers and those stuck on the morning shift.

· Could someone please do something about the announcements reminding riders to “Please stand clear of the doors,” especially after the doors have closed. As it is, the warnings carry on even when the doors are no longer open and passengers are all crammed inside. The doors have been a problem on the new subway trains since they first came into service, but still don’t operate properly. These irritating and useless reminders only add to the general sense of frustration.

· At the beginning of every month, huge queues form as people wait to buy monthly passes. In Union Station, for example, those lineups can be hundreds deep and last forever. Given the TTC’s historic indifference to its passengers, this isn’t surprising. But one can’t help but wonder why the brain trust can’t add a ticket-taker or two at these times. The pass-dispensing machines almost never work and there’s never enough personnel to deal with the additional demand at these specific times.

· Even the busiest stations don’t have enough platform seating. Many passengers are either seniors or people loaded down with luggage, etc. Would it be too much to provide them with a place to sit while they wait for the next train to arrive?

· We need a rider education program, one that reminds users that they are not the only ones using the system. As it is, too many passengers seem utterly unaware that it’s not acceptable to block entrances, hog seats, throw garbage on the floor and so on and so on. Long gone are the days when pregnant women could expect to be given a seat, but a few lessons in basic etiquette are definitely in order. The TTC might even offer short courses and reward those who pass with discounts. Just a suggestion.

· Much of the system is underground, and a tunnel is a tunnel. But there are stretches, especially on the Yonge subway line between Eglinton and Bloor where the subway runs along ground-level corridors surrounded on both sides by grassy verges. For some reason, the TTC has laid waste to these areas, cutting down everything, it seems, but the dog-strangling vines and the occasional weed tree. It’s not that we should hire gardeners to look after these devastated landscapes — though that would be nice — but do they really have to be so depressing?

Little wonder the overwhelming majority of commuters would rather drive. Public transit in Toronto is more an ordeal than a good deal. The impression the TTC gives its riders is that they are second-class citizens whose needs require no more than a token response. And even that’s asking too much.

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